Meshes have typically been produced from longitudinal wires and transverse wires welded at specified distances relative to each other. In conventional mesh welding machines, the longitudinal wire and the transverse wires typically come from wires wound in coils. Each longitudinal wire originated from a corresponding spool. The longitudinal wires are pulled from respective reels, and then pass through straighteners, as well as feeding mechanisms and intermediate storages. Transverse wire typically feeds from a spool via feeding rollers, and through a roller straightener. Conventional machines of this type may have significant productivity, but stand somewhat inflexible as to changing the product, such as changing of the spool and the wire diameter. Changing of wire diameters creates significant delays. Furthermore, such machines need a relatively large area because of the large number of reels and spools for the longitudinal wires that are handled. Prior U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,642B2 provides an example. Applicant's own previous published application WO 2011/010256A1, particularly at FIG. 6 thereof, provides an exemplary illustration of prior art practices in this regard.
In another category of machines, the longitudinal wires are produced by other straightening machines and then transported to the mesh welding machine. These longitudinal wires are straightened and precut to required dimensions. Their placement in the welding machine is made manually. Previous published application WO2011/010256A1, particularly at FIGS. 7A-7B thereof, provided an exemplary teaching of prior art practices in this regard. Such machines are characterized by relatively smaller size, higher flexibility to production changes, and relatively lower output productivity. Automated feeding of the longitudinal wires may be made, from a storage where these longitudinals are stored. Prior DE-4423737 A1 provides an indicative example in this regard. However, this type of machine is relatively complex, presents malfunctions, and stands relatively inflexible in the procedure of changing diameters or lengths of the longitudinals, because such changing presumes first an emptying of the storage, and then a filling of it with the new wires.
In yet another category of welding machines, the longitudinal wires come from a spool on a reel. They are straightened and cut at suitable lengths for the desired mesh. Subsequently, they are automatically transported towards the mesh welding machine. Because the longitudinal wires have a large length, for example mesh of width 2 m and length 6-12 m being common, straightening of the longitudinal wires is made with rotor straighteners and not with two-plane roller straighteners, so that the wires may be relatively perfectly straightened. These longitudinal wires are then transported from their production location towards welding heads. The straightener with rotor produces relatively perfect straightening quality, but the straightened wire proceeds at relatively low speed. Consequently, while these machines exhibit operational flexibility in regards to changing wire diameters and lengths, nevertheless, they achieve very low productivity primarily because of the low speed of the rotor straightening.
Applicant's own previous published application WO 2015/151029A1 included solutions by which high flexibility in changing of the spool and the wire diameter may be attained with simultaneous elimination of need for large area required by large number of reels and spools for the longitudinal wires. This previous published application WO2015/151029A1 proceeded yet further, far beyond Applicant's own prior published application WO 2011/010256A1, so as to set forth new solutions permitting the employment of higher speed roller straighteners, while effectively overcoming potential undesirable results in the produced mesh. Productivity and output quality increased, and the need for slower, rotor straighteners providing relatively perfect straightening quality was eliminated. Applicant's own previous published application WO 2015/151029A1 may reasonably be understood as the closest relevant publication.